I am 21 years old and have one child who is 2. For the past month I have been having severe abdominal pain one, two three times a week. The last three times when i went to the bathroom when I defecated significant amount of bright red blood came out from the rectum. I get a cold sweat when the abdominal pain comes, it is usually in the morning (i had my period about 1 1/2 weeks ago, so I don't believe I am pregnant), and I get very nauseated. Usually after I defecate the pain starts to slowly go down. Then sometimes it comes back for 30 minutes and then its gone. It lasts for about 1-2 hours then afterwords I feel perfectly fine. What is this? Should I be concerned or go to the ER right away?

Abdominal pain may appear in one of several situations: during constipation when the gas, which is normally produced by processing the food in the intestine, is trapped in the intestine (as it presses on the wall it stretches the muscles and they contract painfully), in case of invagination (a condition more common in children), intestinal polyps, ileus, appendicitis, gallbladder issues, stomach (gaster) issues, ovarian conditions such as torsion, etc. The location of the abdominal pain is crucial. Bleeding from the alimentary canal may be presented as vomiting blood in the case of esophageal varices, ulcers, etc, or presented as digested dark to black feces (melena) due to intestinal bleeding (stomach or duodenal ulcers, polyps, bleeding from tumors, etc. If the blood is fresh and red it may be due to hemorrhoids or vaginal bleeding due to gynecological conditions.

According to the data that you described, you may or may not be experiencing any of the conditions listed above. See your doctor for further diagnosis. You may need to have diagnostic tests such as a colonoscopy. See your gynecologist to rule out a possible miscarriage. See the ER if you experience bleeding large amounts of blood (vomiting, or defecating melena) combined with dizziness, cold sweats, blurred vision and tinitus.

Please keep in mind that I provide medical information only. I am not able to diagnose medical condition online. Please contact your doctor or other qualified healthcare provider such as a gynecologist for further advice and information about diagnosis and treatment options for your current conditions.

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